Download Divestment in Fossil Fuels

Divestment in Fossil
Fuels
Opportunities for Local
Governments in WA
Contact:
Evie Devitt-Rix
Project Officer Environment
WALGA
ONE70, LV 1, 170 Railway Parade West Leederville
Phone:
(08) 9213 2065
Fax:
(08) 9213 2077
Mobile:
0417 937 784
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
www.walga.asn.au
16/6/2016
www.walga.asn.au
2
Contents
1.0
Introduction ................................................................................................................ 4
2.0
Background ................................................................................................................ 5
3.0
Divestment and Local Government Associations ........................................................ 6
3.1
WALGA................................................................................................................... 6
3.2
NSW Local Government Associations..................................................................... 7
3.3
Local Government Superannuation ......................................................................... 7
3.4
WA Super ............................................................................................................... 8
4.0
Divestment and Governments .................................................................................... 9
4.1
ACT ........................................................................................................................ 9
4.2
City of Melbourne .................................................................................................... 9
4.3
Leichhardt, NSW ................................................................................................... 10
4.4
Western Australia’s Local Governments and Divestment ...................................... 11
4.4.1
City of Fremantle ........................................................................................... 11
4.4.2
Shire of Goomalling ....................................................................................... 12
4.4.3
City of Armadale ............................................................................................ 12
4.4.4
Recent Divestment in Western Australia ........................................................ 13
5.0
Barriers to Divestment .............................................................................................. 14
5.1
Does divestment affect the fossil fuel industry? ..................................................... 14
5.2
Which banks do and don’t invest in fossil fuels? ................................................... 14
5.3
Risk and divestment.............................................................................................. 15
5.4
High profits from fossil fuel investments ................................................................ 16
5.5
Divestment feasibility ............................................................................................ 17
5.6
Reinvestment in Clean Energy .............................................................................. 17
6.0
6.1
7.0
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 17
Feedback .............................................................................................................. 17
Resources ................................................................................................................ 19
www.walga.asn.au
3
1.0 Introduction
WALGA has been approached by WA Local Governments to provide information on Local
Government divestment from fossil fuel industries. This document includes an overview of
divestment and what is driving it, and provides examples of Local Governments around
Australia that have divested and how they approached it. Local Governments are invited to
provide feedback on this discussion document to inform WALGA of their requirements for
support or further information.
Divestment is the opposite of an investment – it simply means getting rid of stocks, bonds,
accounts or investment funds that are morally ambiguous. For the purposes of this paper,
divestment will refer to removing investment from companies who are involved in fossil fuel
projects. Fossil fuels are defined as “A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the
geological past from the remains of living organisms.”1 Fossil fuel divestment is therefore
aimed at companies who invest in coal, oil and natural gas projects.
Most world governments agreed through the 2009 Copenhagen Accord and the more recent
2015 Paris Agreement that it is imperative to keep global warming to under two degrees
Celsius. To achieve this it is necessary to keep carbon emissions to 550 gigatonnes between
now and 2050. However, current plans from the fossil fuel industry include burning 2860
gigatonnes of known fossil fuel reserves, and continued exploration for more fossil fuels.2
Fossil fuel reserves are currently valued at $28 trillion, but the industry can only safely use $6
trillion. To remain within the carbon budget and keep global warming to a minimum, the
industry would have to eliminate almost $22 trillion of their value. This $22 trillion is now
commonly referred to as the “carbon bubble”.2
If warming is limited to two degrees, the carbon bubble will pop, leaving trillions of dollars in
stranded assets. Stranded assets result when environmentally unsustainable assets suffer
from “unanticipated or premature write-offs, downward revaluations or are converted to
liabilities.” 3 Factors that influence the risk of assets becoming stranded include environmental
challenges such as climate change or water constraints; changing government regulation such
as the introduction of carbon pricing; the falling costs of clean technology including solar and
wind energy; evolving social norms which includes divestment; and litigation and statutory
interpretation changes.2 Divestment reduces the risk of investors being impacted by these
factors.
1
Oxford dictionary. Definition of Fossil Fuel. Retrieved on 1/6/2016 from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/fossil-fuel
2
Carbon Tracker. 2013. Wasted Carbon and Stranded Assets. Retrieved on 1/6/2016 from
http://www.carbontracker.org/report/unburnable-carbon-wasted-capital-and-stranded-assets/
3
Ansar, A., Caldecott, B. Tilbury, J. 2013. Stranded assets and the fossil fuel divestment campaign: what does
divestment mean for the valuation of fossil fuel assets? Retrieved on 25/5/2016 from
www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/research.../stranded-assets/SAP-divestment-report-final.pdf
www.walga.asn.au
4
The risks outlined above suggest that it is financially imprudent to invest in fossil fuel assets
that can never safely be extracted if the world is to limit warming to two degrees Celsius. By
divesting, organisations send a message to financial institutions and the wider community
about the environmental and financial risks posed by investing in high-carbon sectors, and
drive demand for low-carbon investment options.
The aim of the divestment campaign is to shift investment out of Australia’s fossil fuel industry
and into clean energy alternatives and sustainable industries.
This structure of this paper is outlined below.
Section 2 details background information on divestment, including where it has been used
elsewhere to bring about changes in policy.
Section 3 details examples of divestment in Local Government Associations and
Superannuation funds.
Section 4 details examples of divestment in Governments, including Western Australian Local
Governments.
Section 5 details barriers and arguments against divestment, and ways to overcome these
barriers.
Section 6 provides our conclusion and request for feedback from Local Governments.
2.0 Background
Divestment has been used in campaigns against violence in Darfur, tobacco advertising and
South African apartheid. The apartheid divestment campaign in the mid-1980s culminated in
155 university campuses, 26 state governments, 22 countries and 90 cities taking their money
from multinationals that did business in South Africa. The divestment campaign helped to end
apartheid in South Africa by spurring the US Government into placing sanctions on these
countries.4
The recent interest in divestment as a tool to mitigate climate change has been led by
university activism in the United States. More than thirty universities and colleges in the United
States have divested so far, including Stanford, Yale and the University of California.5
Hampshire College divested in 2012, and the College president wrote at the time: “As ‘missiondriven’ (rather than ‘for profit’) institutions, colleges and universities often grapple with the
question of whether to apply their values to the way that they invest as well as the way that
they spend their funds, even if doing so might diminish their funds.”6 A number of US cities —
4
Leber, R. 2015. Divestment Won’t Hurt Big Oil, and that’s OK. New Republic. May 21, 2015.
https://newrepublic.com/article/121848/does-divestment-work. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
5
Fossil Free. 2016. Divestment Commitments. Retrieved on 25/5/2016 from
http://gofossilfree.org/commitments/
6
McGee. 2016. Is divesting from fossil fuels the best tactic for tackling climate change? The Guardian. April 24,
2016. Retrieved 10/5/16.http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2016/apr/24/fossil-fuelsdivestment-tactic-tackling-climate-change?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other.
www.walga.asn.au
5
including Seattle, San Francisco and Portland — have also adopted socially responsible
investment policies, addressing fossil fuel investment, sustainability and climate change.7
Other large organisations who have pledged to divest include the Rockefeller Brothers Fund,
the World Council of Churches, the British Medical Association, Local Government Super,
AMP and Glasgow University.8
These organisations divested from fossil fuels to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Align investments with values
Shape public policy and limit the influence of energy companies
Potentially reduce financial risk
Reallocate investment to companies leading the transition to a more sustainable
economy9
The current fossil fuel divestment campaign is being led by 350.org, an organisation cofounded in the United States by Bill McKibben, which aims to develop solutions to climate
change. The campaign led by 350.org, Fossil Free, encourages and assists Local
Governments and other public institutions to divest from fossil fuels. Local Governments
generally do not have direct investment in fossil fuel companies due to restrictions on investing
in shares. However Local Governments are indirectly exposed through placement of deposits
with the four major Australian Banks which are estimated to have funded $36 billion dollars’
worth of coal and gas projects across the country.10 The Fossil Free website reports the latest
institutions to divest, and includes a breakdown of the number and type of institutions that
have divested around the world.5 So far more than 500 institutions have divested worldwide.3
This report outlines the methods Local Governments in Western Australia and nationally
have used to divest from fossil fuels, to provide some examples for Local Governments as
they investigate their options for divestment.
3.0 Divestment and Local Government Associations
3.1 WALGA
WALGA has been asked by the South Metropolitan Zone to look into its own investment
portfolio. WALGA is in the process of exploring its investment opportunities and will have a
7
Rimmer, M., and Wood, C. 2014. Think global, act local: the role for councils in climate change. Jan 30.
Retrieved on 5/5/2016 from http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/01/30/think-global-act-local-the-role-forcouncils-in-climate-change/
8
Millan, L. 2015. Global divesting institutions reach 500. December 4. Retrieved on 1/6/2016 from
http://www.financialstandard.com.au/news/view/55805051
9
350.org, Green Century Funds and Trillium Asset Management. 2014. Extracting Fossil Fuels from Your
Portfolio: A Guide to Personal Divestment and Reinvestment. Retrieved on 1/6/2015 from
http://www.trilliuminvest.com/extracting-fossil-fuels-from-your-portfolio-a-guide-to-personal-divestmentand-reinvestment/
10
Market Forces. 2016. Banks – funding a huge problem. Retrieved on 9/6/2016 from
http://www.marketforces.org.au/campaigns/banks
www.walga.asn.au
6
formal stance on divestment once it has been considered by WALGA’s Finance and Services
Committee and State Council. We expect this to be around late 2016.
3.2 NSW Local Government Associations
The City of Leichhardt NSW brought a motion to divest to the NSW Local Government
Association (NSW LGA) 2015 conference.11 This motion was worded as follows:
Divestment of Investments in Financial Institutions that Invest in the Fossil Fuel Industry
1. That Local Government NSW endorse as a policy position divesting investments in
financial institutions that invest in the fossil fuels industry.
2. That Local Government NSW make representations to all NSW local councils calling
on them to consider divesting their investments in financial institutions that invest in
the fossil fuels industry.12
The motion was not carried at the conference.11
3.3 Local Government Superannuation
Local Government Super (LGS) is an industry superannuation fund for Local Government
employees in NSW. LGS manages approximately $9 billion of retirement savings.13
In October 2014, LGS made the decision to discontinue investments in companies which
derive 33% or more of their revenue from high carbon sensitive activities. Companies that
LGS will no longer invest in includes those which obtain revenue or assets from coal mining,
oil tar sands and coal fired electricity utilities.14
LGS has continued to make its ethical investing a core part of its business, and in 2016 it
achieved a number one ranking in Australia for sustainable investing, and number two ranking
globally. This ranking comes from the Asset Owners Disclosure Project (AODP), an
independent organisation which ranks the 500 biggest investors worldwide, based on their
management of the risks and opportunities connected with climate change.15 LGS has $5
billion invested in environmentally and socially responsible investment strategies. The fund
has achieved its high rankings due to:

Being one of only seven asset owners to reduce their carbon intensity from the
previous year
11
Local Government NSW. 2015. Annual Conference Record of Decisions. Retrieved on 23/5/2016 from
http://www.lgnsw.org.au/events-training/local-government-nsw-annual-conference/2015-annual-conference
12
Local Government NSW. 2015. Annual Conference Business Paper. Retrieved on 23/5/2016 from
http://www.lgnsw.org.au/events-training/local-government-nsw-annual-conference/2015-annual-conference
13
Local Government Super. 2016. About LGS. https://www.lgsuper.com.au/about-us/about-lgs/. Retrieved on
12/5/2016 from https://www.lgsuper.com.au/about-us/about-lgs/
14
Local Government Super. 2015. Sustainable and Responsible Investment Policy. Retrieved on 12/5/2016
from https://www.lgsuper.com.au/investments/sustainable-investment/investment-restrictions/
15
Local Government Super. 2016. Media Release: Local Government Super number one for sustainable
investment. Retrieved on 12/5/2016 from https://www.lgsuper.com.au/about-us/media-releases/
www.walga.asn.au
7


Their ability to calculate portfolio-wide emissions
Having the widest range of climate change related portfolio risk mitigation actions of
all asset owners. 16
LGS’ Sustainable and Responsible investment policy, effective on May 1, 2015, included
investment restrictions into companies which derive:



Any revenue from controversial weapons or tobacco
More than 10% of revenue in armaments, gambling or old growth logging; or
More than one-third of revenue in high carbon sensitive activities, including coal
mining, oil tar sands and coal fired electricity utilities. 17
LGS does not invest in companies with high environmental, social or governance risk
profiles.17
3.4 WA Super
WALGA currently holds its employees’ superannuation accounts with WA Super, formerly
the Local Government Superannuation Plan. WA Super has not pursued any steps toward
divestment at the present time, but the fund has a Sustainable Futures option, which invests
in two share funds managed by AMP Capital Investors and BT Financial Group.18 The BT
Wholesale Ethical Share Fund pledges not to invest in:





Uranium mining for the purpose of weapons manufacture
Production of alcohol or tobacco
Manufacturing of or providing gaming facilities
Manufacturing of weapons and armaments
Any companies who have been subject to environmental and/or human rights
prosecutions19
The Fund also has an ‘ethical screen’ provided by Regnan Governance Research and
Engagement, which identifies and favours companies who derive more than 20% of their
revenue from sustainable technologies, products and services.19
The Sustainable Futures option from WA Super gives WALGA, and Local Government
employees the opportunity to move their investments to a more ethical option without changing
their superannuation provider. However, as above, this option does not yet rule out investment
into fossil fuel industries.
16
350.org. 2015. Local Government Leadership on Fossil Fuel Divestment. Retrieved on 9/3/2016 from
https://350.org.au/.../Local-Government-Leadership-on-Fossil-Fuel-Divestment_Web
17
Local Government Super. 2015. Sustainable and Responsible Investment Policy. Retrieved on 12/5 2016 from
https://www.lgsuper.com.au/investments/sustainable-investment/
18
WA Super. 2016. Socially Responsible Investment. Retrieved on 10/5/2016 from
http://www.wasuper.com.au/investments/socially-responsible-investment/.
19
BT Investment Management. 2015. BT Wholesale Ethical Share Fund – Fact Sheet. Retrieved on 5/5/2016
from https://btim.com.au/products/bt-wholesale-ethical-share-fund/
www.walga.asn.au
8
4.0 Divestment and Governments
In 2015, the number of Australian Local Governments who have divested from fossil fuels
grew from two to fifteen.11 The divestment movement has continued to gather strength in 2016,
and currently nineteen Local Governments across Australia have committed to divest.
350.org’s November 2015 report, Local Government Leadership on Fossil Fuel Divestment,
reported that Australian Local Governments who have pledged to divest have over $5.5 billion
in investments. As these funds are currently in the process of being divested, by the report
publication date approximately two-fifths (41.75%) of participating council’s money had moved
to banks and financial institutions that do not fund fossil fuels.16 As the numbers of Local
Governments committed to divestment increases, this percentage continues to grow.
4.1 ACT
In August 2015, the Australian Capital Territory passed a motion to divest from coal, oil and
gas companies, making them the first Australian Government to divest.20 The motion was
worded as follows:
The ACT Government refrain from new investments in fossil fuel companies in which it does
not have a controlling interest (less than 50%). The ACT Government develops a plan to
responsibly divest over a five year period from companies that are listed in the Carbon
Underground Top 200 list published by Fossil Free Indexes. The ACT Government makes
public its plan to divest from fossil fuels.20
The motion was carried by the Black Mountain Sub-branch at the ALP ACT conference.
The decision to divest was a result of a two year community campaign run by health, faith,
union and environment groups. By November 2015 the government had sold its shares in
the world’s fifth largest owner of coal reserves, Anglo American, as well as coal miners
Glencore and Whitehaven Coal. Once the ACT had sold those shares, their remaining
holdings of carbon reserves had been reduced by two thirds.21
4.2 City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne became the tenth and largest Australian Local Government to commit
to stop investing in fossil fuels in 2015. The City had long been interested in initiating
sustainability ventures, and in 2002 committed to the target of Zero Net Emissions by
20
350.org 2015. ACT Government to divest from fossil fuels. https://350.org.au/news/act-government-todivest-from-fossil-fuels/ Accessed 17/3/2016
21
McIlroy, T. 2015. ACT government fossil fuel divestment speed wins praise from environmental campaigners.
November 5. Retrieved on 14/4/16 from http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-government-fossilfuel-divestment-speed-wins-praise-from-environmental-campaigners-20151105-gkr8wh.html
www.walga.asn.au
9
2020.22 Cr Arron Wood stated that “it is important that CoM leads by example through its own
operations.” The motion was worded as follows:
1. That Council:
1.1. Reaffirms its commitment to clean energy through its investments.
1.2 Notes that the City of Melbourne has no direct investment (shareholdings) in any
fossil fuel companies or fossil fuel aligned companies.
1.3 Commits to not directly investing in any fossil fuel or fossil fuel aligned companies
into the future. This commitment will be reflected in the City of Melbourne’s Investment
Policy when it is next reviewed.
1.4 Requests management write to the Trustees of Council’s default superannuation
fund Vision Super and request a Fossil Free Investment option be available to members.
1.5 Resolves that when the transactional banking services are next tendered,
respondents will be requested to complete a questionnaire on their exposure and
support to the fossil fuel sector. These responses are to be taken into consideration
when deciding to award the transactional banking services contract.22
The motion was carried unanimously by the City of Melbourne on October 27, 2015.
It is not clear from this motion whether the City of Melbourne intends to divest from indirect
fossil fuel exposures such as banks. However their commitment to consider the banks’
exposure to fossil fuels when awarding their transactional banking services contract suggests
that they plan to monitor the fossil fuel investments of the banks that they use.
4.3 Leichhardt, NSW
In March 2015, Leichhardt Council, a Local Government Area in inner western Sydney, voted
to completely divest from financial institutions that fund the fossil fuel industry within three
years, pending a successful review after 12 months.23 The Council planned to increase the
proportion of the investment portfolio to 60% invested in non-fossil fuel aligned financial
institutions in the first twelve months and then to 100% divestment within three years.
The twelve month review was put in place so that Leichhardt Council could identify any risk
factors and continue to protect their investment portfolio.
The resolution passed at the Leichhardt Council policy meeting on March 10, 2015 stated
that the Council would:
22
City of Melbourne. 2015. Council Meeting – Agenda item 7.4. Notice of Motion, Cr Arron Wood: City of
Melbourne Clean Energy. October 2015. Retrieved on 14/4/2016 from
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/Pages/committees-meetings.aspx
23
Leichhardt Council. 2015. Leichhardt Council Votes to Divest from Fossil Fuels. Retrieved from
http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/News-and-Events/Media-Releases/2015/Leichhardt-Council-Votes-toDivest-From-Fossil-Fuels on 17/3/2016
www.walga.asn.au
10




Increase the proportion of its term investment portfolio in APRA supervised non-fossil
fuel aligned financial institutions from its current level of approximately 50% on a
phased based;
Increase the proportion of its term investment portfolio to 60% in non-fossil fuel
aligned financial institutions over the next 12 months (subject to existing contractual
obligations);
Notes that it is envisaged that Council’s term investment portfolio will be fully
divested from fossil fuel aligned financial institutions within a period of around 3 years
pending a successful review after 12 months
Prepare a report to review the progress after 12 months and that this report also
covers relevant economic and environmental factors to enable consideration of
appropriate further increases and appropriate time lines.23
Following the 12 month review, Leichhardt Council released a statement saying that they
would divest all of their investments from financial institutions that fund the fossil fuel
industry.24 Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne stated that “after successfully phasing in divestment,
Council had now committed to a target of a 100% non-fossil fuel investment portfolio as soon
as possible”24
4.4 Western Australia’s Local Governments and Divestment
4.4.1 City of Fremantle
The City of Fremantle is a Local Government Area south of Perth. In 2009 Fremantle became
Western Australia’s first carbon neutral city. In August 2014, a Councillor to the City of
Fremantle requested that the City consider developing an investment strategy which takes
into consideration the support that financial institutions provide to fossil fuel industries. This
request reflected the intention of the One Planet Fremantle Strategy and the City’s
commitment to carbon neutrality.25
At the City’s Ordinary Council meeting on the 27th of August 2014, a motion was put forward
to amend the City’s investment policy, Policy SG41, to include Divestment from Carbon
Emissions. The motion was carried, and the Policy now contains the following paragraph:
The City of Fremantle has committed to carbon neutrality, and to this end seeks to ensure its
financial investments consider the reduction of fossil fuels and our One Planet Fremantle
Strategy. To this end the City of Fremantle will review and manage its investment portfolio to
identify financial institutions which support either direct or indirect support of fossil fuel
24
Leichhardt Council. 2016. Media Release. Council Leading the Way on Fossil Fuel Divestment.
http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/media-releases/2016/council-leading-the-way-on-fossilfuel-divestment. April 6 2016. Accessed 13/4/2016.
25
City of Fremantle. 2014. Agenda – Strategic and General Services Committee 20 August 2014. Retrieved on
7/3/2016 from http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/council/agendas-and-minutes/strategic-and-generalservices-committee-13
www.walga.asn.au
11
companies and will limit investments in these institutions to the minimum required which will
allow compliance with parts 4 and 5 above.26
This policy ensures that the City is able to divest while still limiting their risk. Compliance with
part 4 refers to the credit framework, which limits the percentage of the portfolio exposed to
any particular credit rating category. Part 5 refers to the counterparty credit framework, which
limits the percentages of average annual funds invested with any one financial institution or
managed fund and the relationship between credit rating and interest rate.26
The amendment will result in limiting the City’s use of investment with large banks. By August
2014 the City held 59% of its current investment of surplus cash in financial institutions which
are registered as not supporting unlocking of carbon activities.25
4.4.2 Shire of Goomalling
The Shire of Goomalling is a rural service centre in the Wheatbelt in WA. In February 2015,
the Shire of Goomalling pledged to divest from fossil fuel industries. The concept of divestment
was brought to the council by a local councillor, who was concerned about the effect of climate
change on the agricultural industry in Australia.16
The Shire of Goomalling’s Policy 4.13: Investment of Surplus Funds was amended in February
2016, to take into account the motion carried in 2015.
The amended policy now reads:
The Shire of Goomalling considers the climate crisis a serious threat locally, nationally and
internationally. In Paris in 2015, over 190 countries agreed that carbon emissions release
should be significantly limited to support world efforts to limit global average temperature
increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. A CSIRO and BOM publication in January 2015
stated that the South West of Western Australia has already warmed by 1.1°C since 1910. The
Shire of Goomalling seeks to ensure its financial investments consider the reduction of
emissions from burning fossil fuels and to this end the Shire of Goomalling will not invest in
financial institutions which directly and/or indirectly support fossil fuel companies.27
4.4.3 City of Armadale
The City of Armadale is a Local Government south-east of the Perth CBD. The City received
correspondence from 350.org in 2014, requesting Council give consideration to investing
future surplus funds in financial institutions that do not invest in fossil fuel industries.28
26
City of Fremantle. 2014. Policy: SG41 – Investment. Retrieved on 7/3/2016 from
http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/investment
27
Shire of Goomalling. 2016. 4.13 Investment. Retrieved on 2/6/2016 from
http://www.goomalling.wa.gov.au/policies.aspx
28
City of Armadale. 2015. Ordinary Meeting of Council Monday 23 November 2015 Agenda. Retrieved on
14/4/2016 from http://www.armadale.wa.gov.au/agendas-and-minutes/201511
www.walga.asn.au
12
The City looked to the firm Market Forces which has a fossil fuel investment position
comparison resource of banks, credit unions and building societies, to review their
investments. The City used the term “green investment” to describe an investment that meets
the requirements of Regulation 19C of the Local Government (Financial Management)
Regulations 1996 and is invested in an authorised institution that does not invest in fossil fuel
industries.28
The review of two years of investments showed that over time the City had invested more
than 50% of their surplus funds in green investments and therefore a change in policy which
preferences such investments would be easy to implement.
The motion was worded as follows:
The City when investing surplus funds will, as part of Council’s commitment to protecting the
environment, exercise a deliberative preference in “green investments” providing in all cases
that such investments are authorised and meet the risk ratings and diversification tests outlined
in the Management Practice.28
At the Ordinary Council meeting on the 23rd November the motion was carried unopposed.
Armadale was the fourteenth Local Government in Australia to divest.
4.4.4 Recent Divestment in Western Australia
During the development of this report, other Local Governments continued to divest from
fossil fuels.
These Local Governments included

Town of Bassendean – The Town carried a motion pledging to divest their $8.6
million fund in March 2016. Mayor John Gangell then called on other councils to
divest from coal and gas.29

City of Stirling – The City carried a motion to change their Investment Policy on May
3, 2016. The policy now includes the objective of Environmentally and Socially
Responsible Investment.30 The objective reads: “The investment should align to
Council values through Environmentally Responsible Investment and Socially
Responsible Investment in line with the other objectives of this policy.”30
29
350.org. 2016. Mayor of Bassendean calls on other councils to “divest from the fossil fuel industry”. Retrieved
on 17/5/2016 from https://350.org.au/news/mayor-of-bassendean-calls-on-other-councils-to-divest-from-thefossil-fuel-industry/
30
City of Stirling. 2016. Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Council 3 May 2016. Retrieved on 11/5/2016 from
http://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/Council/Meetings/Council%20meetings%20and%20petitions/Council%20Meeti
ngs%20Agenda%20and%20Minutes/Council%20Minutes%20-%203%20May%202016.pdf
www.walga.asn.au
13
5.0 Barriers to Divestment
Barriers or arguments against divestment may limit the extent to which Local Governments
can divest. Possible barriers or arguments against divestment are discussed in the following
section.
5.1 Does divestment affect the fossil fuel industry?
One of the main questions in the discussion on divestment is whether it is the best course of
action for climate change mitigation, given that the action may not have a significant financial
effect on fossil fuel companies.31 This assumption is made given that a standard investment
portfolio contains between two to four per cent fossil fuels.32 However past divestment
campaigns have been successful despite not damaging the financials of their target. After the
successful divestment campaign against South African apartheid, a study of the campaign
found that divestment did not impact South Africa’s economy, but attention brought to the
regime by the divestment campaign led to political scrutiny and legislation changes.33.
Government sanctions were brought by the US Congress in 1986, which were instrumental in
bringing about the end of apartheid in 1994.34
The tobacco divestment campaign borrowed many strategies from the apartheid movement,
and once again, this campaign did not financially impact the tobacco industry. However the
campaign helped to point out the strategies industry used to continually misinform consumers
on the health impacts of smoking. This led to new taxes, limits on smoking in public spaces,
and other policies to change public behaviour.33
Fossil fuel divestment may not initially have a significant effect on the profits of banks which
invest in fossil fuel companies, but it does begin to create doubt about the long term practicality
of the fossil fuel industry’s business model.35
5.2 Which banks do and don’t invest in fossil fuels?
Detailed information on banks that do and don’t invest in fossil fuel companies are listed on
the Market Forces website (http://www.marketforces.org.au/) and a summary is provided in
Table 1 below. Market Forces also has a clickable map of Australia, illustrating which banks
are investing in each fossil fuel project across the country.
31
McGee. 2016. Is divesting from fossil fuels the best tactic for tackling climate change? The Guardian. April 24,
2016. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2016/apr/24/fossil-fuels-divestment-tactic-tacklingclimate-change?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other. Retrieved 10/5/16.
32
Mitchell, T. 2015. Fossil Fuel Divestment Reaches $3.4 Trillion Globally. New Matilda. Retrieved on
23/5/2016 from https://newmatilda.com/2015/12/03/fossil-fuel-divestment-reaches-3-4-trillion-globally/
33
Leber, R. 2015. Divestment Won’t Hurt Big Oil, and that’s OK. New Republic. May 21, 2015.
https://newrepublic.com/article/121848/does-divestment-work. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
34
McGee. 2016. Is divesting from fossil fuels the best tactic for tackling climate change? The Guardian. April 24.
Retrieved on 10/5/16 from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2016/apr/24/fossil-fuelsdivestment-tactic-tackling-climate-change?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other..
35
350.org. Frequently Asked Divestment Questions. Received on 29/3/2016 from 350.org
www.walga.asn.au
14
5.3 Risk and divestment
Financial risk is defined as “the probability that an actual return on an investment is lower than
an expected return”.36 Banks are rated according to their level of risk, and given a credit rating
according to their capacity to meet their financial commitment on an obligation. The highest
credit rating is AAA.
The following table shows how a selection of Australian banks compare in terms of exposure
to fossil fuels and credit ratings. Note, all references to credit rating are based upon Standard
and Poor’s Long Term Credit Rating.
Table 1 Profile of Australian Banks
Bank
AMP
ANZ
Commonwealth Bank (CBA)
NAB
Westpac
HSBC Australia
Suncorp
ING
Macquarie
Adelaide Bank
Bendigo Bank
Rural Bank
Bank of Melbourne
Bankwest
RAMS
St George
Beyond Bank
ME Bank
Bank of Queensland
Auswide
Banks
Funding
fossil fuels
Long-Term
Credit Rating
(S&P)
Y
AA+
Y
AAY
AAY
AAY
AAY
A+
N
A+
Y
A
Y
AN
AN
AN
AOwned by Westpac
Owned by CBA
Owned by Westpac
Owned by Westpac
N
BBB+
N
BBB+
N
BBB+
N
BBB
Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings are explained as below. Positives and negative signs refer to
the direction the risk is trending.
AAA
36
Business dictionary. 2016. Risk: definition. Retrieved on 8/6/2016 from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/risk.html
www.walga.asn.au
15
An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its
financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA
An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to
meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A
An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and
economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its
financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB
An obligation rated 'BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or
changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation
A bank’s credit rating guides investors as to where to invest their funds. Some Local
Government investment policies include a condition that they will not invest in banks that have
a credit rating below A. These policies may also impose a maximum investment on each
rating, for example a maximum of ten percent per A rated institution.
There are currently four banks in Australia which do not fund fossil fuel projects and have a
rating of A or higher, including SunCorp, Bendigo Bank, Adelaide Bank and Rural Bank (Table
1). The low number of banks reaching this requirement may restrict the level of fossil fuel
divestment from Local Governments. The level of divestment will also depend on individual
Local Government’s attitude to risk.
Although the directives of the policy will guide the level of divestment a Local Government can
achieve, adjusting an investment policy to include divestment in fossil fuels sends a message
about the Local Government’s attitude to fossil fuels. As institutions and individuals around
the world continue to divest, it is likely that the increasing demand will encourage banks to
consider changing their investments.
Until that happens, institutions can word their policies to allow divestment while still protecting
themselves from undue financial risk.
5.4 High profits from fossil fuel investments
Despite the fact that some sectors of the fossil fuel industry have been highly profitable in the
last decade, many authorities such as the International Energy Agency, Goldman Sachs, the
IMF, Lord Stern, HSBC and Citi, have begun to warn their customers about financial risks of
investing in fossil fuel reserves that cannot be safely combusted.35
Past achievements of the fossil fuel industry do not guarantee successful future prospects,
and situations such as the Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills, and unpredictability in supply and
demand, create volatile markets for fossil fuels.35
Cultural attitudes towards fossil fuel investments have begun to shift, with major investors such
as Storebrand, Rabobank, the World Bank, and the European Investment Bank reducing their
fossil fuel investments35.
www.walga.asn.au
16
5.5 Divestment feasibility
Divestment is a realistic and achievable goal, but it may take time. The speed and degree of
divestment will depend on the attitudes, size, governing policy/legislation and structure of the
organisation wanting to divest. This paper lists Local Governments, universities, and religious
organisations that have already divested, showing it is possible for these types of institutions.
5.6 Reinvestment in Clean Energy
Some argue that divestment is only one half of the equation, and investors need to reinvest in
renewable energy projects to make a difference to climate change. Recently the Clean Energy
Finance Commission and Palisade Investment Partners announced a strategy to accelerate
the development of Australian renewable energy projects valued at $1 billion. The strategy
aims to meet the growing desire from mainstream investors to invest in renewable energy
projects. It will also assist in meeting the funding gap in new investments in renewable energy
to meet the Renewable Energy Target.
Local Governments who commit to divestment can include the intention to reinvest in
renewable energy in their Council motion and Investment Policy.
6.0 Conclusion
Divestment of fossil fuels is a policy Local Governments can pursue to align with their values
set out in their Sustainability and Climate Change policies. Local Governments are significant
customers for banks, and they can use their influence to encourage banks to reconsider their
financial support for fossil fuels.
The fossil fuel divestment movement has grown exponentially within Local Governments
across Australia in the last 18 months. In total, nineteen Australian Local Governments have
divested from fossil fuels, the majority of these in 2015 and 2016. Western Australia is one of
the leaders in Local Government divestment, with five Local Governments who have divested.
As Local Government divestment becomes more common, Local Governments seeking
information and examples of divestment have a range of cases to refer to.
Local Governments can reduce risk when divesting by guiding the conditions attached to their
policies, or by pledging to partially divest with an option to increase the percentage of their
divestment after a certain period of time. The examples outlined in this paper detail a range of
possibilities.
6.1 Feedback
WALGA invite Local governments to inform their advocacy on fossil fuel divestment.
Local Government can provide written feedback and comments on the discussion paper to
[email protected] by Monday 25 July 2016.
www.walga.asn.au
17
WALGA is particularly interested in receiving feedback about the following topics:
1.
What are the drivers for Western Australian Local Governments to divest from fossil
fuels?
2.
What are the problems/issues do Local Governments foresee with divesting?
3.
What are the possible solutions to these problems/issues?
4.
What guidance/advice would assist Local Governments to consider divestment from fossil
fuels?
5.
What would Local Governments like WALGA to work on with regards to divestment?
www.walga.asn.au
18
7.0 Resources
The table below details useful resources for information on divestment.
Table 2 Divestment resources
Go Fossil Free
http://gofossilfree.org.au/
Market Forces
http://www.marketforces.org.au/
350.org Divestment
https://350.org/category/topic/divestment/
City of Armadale: Agendas and
Minutes
City of Fremantle: Agendas and
Minutes
http://www.armadale.wa.gov.au/agendas-and-minutes/201511
Shire of Goomalling: Council
Policies
http://www.goomalling.wa.gov.au/policies.aspx
Leichhardt Council: 2015 Policy
Meetings
http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/AboutCouncil/Meetings/Policy-/2015/2015-Policy-Meetings
City of Melbourne: Committees
and Meetings
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committeesmeetings/Pages/committees-meetings.aspx
www.walga.asn.au
http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/council/agendas-and-minutes
19